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Chaos Spawn
|rarity = Rare |casting_cost = |upkeep_cost = per turn |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Cause Fear Poison Touch 4 Doom Gaze 4 Death Gaze -4 Stoning Gaze -4 }} Chaos Spawn is a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. It belongs to the , and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. The Chaos Spawn's main method of inflicting damage to its enemies is through a wide array of Special Attacks, each capable of causing a tremendous amount of , especially to units with low scores. Such units, when attacking or being attacked by a Chaos Spawn, can be wiped out before they ever get to deal any damage! The Fantastic Unit Physical Description The Chaos Spawn is Master of Magic's version of the "Beholder", a creature developed in the early days of Dungeons & Dragons and appearing in many forms in all sorts of fantasy fiction works. It is essentially a hovering orb of flesh with several stalks protruding from it. Each stalk ends in a single, massive eye. The Chaos Spawn's eyes control various types of powerful magics, which are unleashed as it gazes upon its prey. The Chaos Spawn is a . Offensive Properties The Chaos Spawn's Melee Attack itself is pathetically weak, with a strength of only . This means that the creature will hardly ever deal any Melee Damage. On the other hand, whenever the Chaos Spawn engages in Melee combat, its eyes will unleash a whole slew of Special Attacks which are potentially devastating in power. As a result, units with low or average scores will almost always be destroyed when engaging this creature in Melee combat. Even creatures with very high Resistance may end up being destroyed by one of these abilities, as most of them inflict a serious penalty to the target's Resistance score. Multi-Gaze :The Chaos Spawn has three different types of Gaze Attacks. These are short range attacks that are executed only as part of the Melee sequence. Unlike other similar attacks, Gaze abilities can be utilized both when initiating or defending against a Melee Attack. However, in the latter case (i.e. when Counter Attacking), the Gaze Attacks of the defender occur after the attacker's short range abilities. :The three Gaze Attacks of the Chaos Spawn are technically not separate attacks. That is, it does not actually perform three separate Gaze Attack steps during the Melee sequence. Instead, the main attack is the Doom Gaze, to which the other two are attached as added effects. As a result, if the Spawn fails to perform the Doom Gaze for any reason (e.g. has been used to reduce its attack strength to 0), then the other Gaze abilities will not be performed either. :All three Gaze Attacks are performed simultaneously, in addition to the Poison Touch also being affixed to this series. This means that for the calculation of damage or deaths, all four of these abilities are considered as if the target had the same amount of . This is in contrast to a sequential execution, where further attacks down the line would only affect who have survived the previous ones. :For example, a Swordsmen unit will have to make a total of 12 rolls to counter the combined effect of the Death Gaze and Stoning Gaze (in addition to having to resist the Poison and take direct damage from the Doom Gaze). It is very much possible to suffer 7 or more 's worth of damage in this case, in addition to the damage done by the other two abilities (and any actual Melee). :The easiest order in which this can be visualized is probably Death Gaze + Stoning Gaze, then Poison Touch, and finally Doom Gaze. :Both of the first two abilities have a Resistance modifier, and they both "kill" a on a failed roll. In practice, this means that they do one 's full worth of damage for each of these rolls. Thus, when the Chaos Spawn executes its Gazes, the target unit needs to make 2 rolls per (at the penalty), or suffer a 's worth of for each failed roll. :The total done is then stored by the game, but is not applied until the other two abilities have also been processed. The Poison Touch is easier to handle. It has a strength of 4''', and thus forces the target to make 4 rolls, with the price of each failure being another point of added to the total. This ability carries no inherent Resistance modifier, and is thus easier to shrug off than the previous attacks. :Finally, the creature's Doom Gaze delivers direct, unblockable, and unresistable equal to the strength of the ability. This is a base '''4 by default, but will be increased to 6''' when fighting in or around a Chaos Node. This is directly added to the above total as well. :Units possessing immunities to some of these attacks can skip the relevant sections for those. For example, a unit with Stoning Immunity would only need to make a single roll for each of its against the first two Gaze Attacks. If it also had Death Immunity, it could skip the "Resist or die" Gazes completely. : is applied to the target unit only at the very end of this lengthy process. It is actually possible to destroy a unit multiple times over in this manner. Any that are lost to these attacks will no longer participate in the Melee Damage step at the end of the sequence. Cause Fear :When the Chaos Spawn engages an enemy unit in melee combat, it delivers a Fear-based Special Attack. :The game rolls a number between 1 and 10 for each in the enemy unit. Any figure that rolls higher than its unit's score may not deliver any Melee Damage (or Touch Attacks affixed to that) against the Chaos Spawn. Unfortunately, this effect is bugged in version 1.31 of the game (see below). Poison Touch :Finally, when it does get to the part where Melee Damage is exchanged with the target, the Chaos Spawn also performs another Touch Attack delivering Poison Damage. :The target unit makes 4 separate rolls. For each roll that fails (i.e. rolls higher than the unit's Resistance score) the unit suffers , for a maximum possible from this Poison Attack. Defensive Properties The Chaos Spawn is not lacking in the defense department either. It has a Defense score of , allowing it to block about on average from any source. With , it can also absorb a good amount of damage before being destroyed. Naturally, if the Chaos Spawn is used well, it should suffer no damage at all. This is because its Special Attacks (described above) are likely to kill the target before it has any chance to retaliate. However, Ranged Attacks pose a threat to the Chaos Spawn if they can get past its . Other Properties The Chaos Spawn has a Resistance score of . This makes it immune to many Curses and other ill effects that allow the Chaos Spawn to make a Resistance roll but do not incur any Resistance penalty. The Chaos Spawn has the ability to Fly, but unfortunately is one of the slowest fliers in the game, moving at only . It is therefore quite terrible as a scout, and may take some time reaching the enemy's lines during combat. Tactics The Chaos Spawn's myriad of Special Attacks make it one of the most dangerous and deadly Melee Attackers in the game. Enemy armies comprised only of units will have a difficult time bringing it down. Thanks to its Flying ability, it can also pick-and-choose its targets, eliminating them one-by-one. On the other hand, the Chaos Spawn has been described as a "Pin Cushion" for enemy Ranged Attack units. Do not expect it to survive a concentrated barrage of Ranged Attacks. If such a situation occurs, try to withdraw the Chaos Spawn to the far corner of the map until the enemy runs out of ammunition. Note of course that do not suffer range penalties, so this tactic may not be useful against them. Overall, the Chaos Spawn is a primary unit for taking out enemy Normal Units - especially Neutral Town garrisons. If used properly, the Chaos Spawn should be able to decimate the enemy army. If used improperly, it'll be lost before it can even make contact with the enemy. Enemy Chaos Spawns Chaos Spawns are rather rare. They may be encountered in Chaos Nodes or Towers of Wizardry, and are rarely alone. They will usually be found in groups of 2 or 3 Chaos Spawns and accompanied by smaller creatures like Hell Hounds. Bringing an army comprised only of units to fight a Chaos Spawn is tantamount to suicide - at least for some of those units. Units with very high scores and/or various immunities (especially Magic Immunity) will have a somewhat better chance to survive its attacks. Units with powerful and/or may kill the Chaos Spawn before it gets the chance to use its own attacks, but these would have to be very strong to succeed. The best strategies for taking out Chaos Spawns would include bringing along plenty of Ranged Attack units, and/or casting direct damage spells at the creature. It may have a lot of , but not enough to withstand any concentrated barrage. Fortunately, the Chaos Spawn moves slowly, so it is fairly easy to outmaneuver (and avoid) it if necessary, which may provide an opportunity to bombard it from afar. Ability Overview Cause Fear * When this unit makes a against an enemy target, it also executes a Cause Fear attack. * This is a Special Attack, taking effect just before Melee Damage is dealt by either unit. However, it occurs after , , and Gaze Attacks. * Each in the enemy unit must (with no penalty) or be unable to deliver any Melee Damage to the Chaos Spawn. * Cause Fear is also used when the unit is Counter Attacking against an enemy assailant. (bugged and does not happen in v1.31) * This ability does nothing against targets possessing the Magic Immunity, Death Immunity, or effects. Poison Touch 4 * Each attack made by this unit (both Multi-Gaze and ) delivers an added Touch Attack against the target, causing Poison Damage. * The target unit must make '''4 rolls against this attack. For each failed roll, it receives . * This ability does nothing against targets possessing Poison Immunity. Doom Gaze 4 * When this unit engages in , it first delivers a Doom Damage attack with a strength of 4. * This is a Gaze Attack, which means it takes place before Melee Damage is dealt by either unit. However, it occurs after an attacker's , , and Gaze Attacks (if any) when defending. * The target unit receives exactly from this attack. This damage can not be resisted or defended against in any way. Death Gaze -4 * When this unit engages in , it first delivers a Death Damage attack. * This is a Gaze Attack, which means it takes place before Melee Damage is dealt by either unit. However, it occurs after an attacker's , , and Gaze Attacks (if any) when defending. * Each in the target unit must at a penalty of or be destroyed immediately. * This ability does nothing against targets possessing the Death Immunity, Magic Immunity, or effects. Stoning Gaze -4 * When this unit engages in , it first delivers a Stoning Damage attack. * This is a Gaze Attack, which means it takes place before Melee Damage is dealt by either unit. However, it occurs after an attacker's , , and Gaze Attacks (if any) when defending. * Each in the target unit must at a penalty of or be destroyed immediately. * This effect does nothing against targets possessing the Stoning Immunity or Magic Immunity abilities, and is highly unlikely to affect units enchanted with . The Summoning Spell Usage Chaos Spawn may only be cast on the overland map, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon casting, the new Chaos Spawn unit will appear in the town currently containing the caster's Summoning Circle. The new unit is created with full Movement Points, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. To keep the Chaos Spawn in play, it is necessary to pay an Upkeep Cost of only per turn. This is drawn automatically from the caster's Mana pool each turn. Failure to pay the required costs due to lack of in the pool will lead to the Chaos Spawn being immediately destroyed, along with any Unit Enchantments currently affecting it. If the unit is destroyed in combat, then it is gone from the world entirely, and there is no further need to pay its Upkeep Costs. The Chaos Spawn may also be dismissed voluntarily. To do this, right-click the unit's icon and then press the red "Dismiss" button on the bottom right corner of the unit statistics window. A dismissed unit is gone forever, but of course the Summoning Spell can always be cast again to get a fresh new one. The primary reason to dismiss a Fantastic Creature would be to remove its Upkeep Cost (conserving as a result). Acquisition As a Rare spell, Chaos Spawn may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least Spellbooks. However, its availability during the game is not guaranteed unless the Wizard acquires at least Spellbooks. Customized Wizards possessing Spellbooks at game creation may choose Chaos Spawn as one of their starting spells, in which case it will be available for casting immediately on the first turn. Wizards with to Spellbooks have a random chance of being able to Research Chaos Spawn during the game. The chance for this spell to appear for research increases with the number of Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay. With or Spellbooks, the spell is guaranteed to appear for Research at some point, if it is not already available for casting. Chaos Spawn has a base Research Cost of . With at least Spellbooks, the Chaos Spawn spell may be acquired as a reward for winning encounters in creature Lairs, Towers, et cetera, or when conquering the Fortress of a rival wizard who has already researched this spell. Known Bugs Ability Strength Display Bug There appears to be a problem with the Chaos Spawn's abilities - or, rather, with the way they are displayed in the unit statistics window. The Death Gaze and Stoning Gaze abilities are each listed with a strength of "4". Given how these abilities are displayed for other units possessing them, this would indicate that when these abilities are used, the target gets a Resistance bonus of . This is not the case, consistent with the manual, both abilities actually inflict a penalty of on their target. The bug is the result of the Chaos Spawn having a combination of abilities that the designers did not fully anticipate, namely: both a Gaze and a Touch attack. The strength of these abilities normally share the same variable, which is read for the display window, but is not actually used by the code handling the Multi-Gaze (it is used for the Poison Touch only). Zero Melee AI bug There are several spells that can reduce the Chaos Spawn's Melee Attack Strength to . If this happens, the AI will stop moving or attacking with it, despite the fact that this does not necessarily disable the Gaze Attacks. No Gaze Attack Bug It may happen that the Chaos Spawn loses the ability to use all of its Gaze Attacks, if the opposing wizard uses the spell . In this case the Chaos Spawn becomes completely harmless. As mentioned above, the Chaos Spawn delivers its "resist or die" gazes as added effects to the Doom Gaze, which, in turn, uses the generic Ranged Attack variable for its Attack Strength. While this variable has otherwise no influence on the strength of Stoning Gaze and Death Gaze, reducing it to 0 will prevent the execution of the Doom Gaze, along with all other effects added to it. This variable is also increased by in Chaos Nodes, which prevents Mind Storm alone from nullifying the Gaze Attacks in these Nodes' Auras. Fear Bug The ability Cause Fear is bugged in version 1.31 in a way that its effect is either skipped or also applied to its owner. Firstly, if the Chaos Spawn executes a Counter Attack, then Cause Fear will have no effect. Secondly, if a Chaos Spawn initiates a Melee Attack, then the following happens: * Each opposing figure makes a roll. Each figure that fails its roll will skip its attack. This works as intended. * Each opposing figure makes a second roll. If just one figure fails its roll, then the Chaos Spawn will skip its attack and the accompanying Poison Touch. However, the drawback is fairly minor because the Chaos Spawn rather relies on the damage done by its Multi-Gaze which is not affected by this. Category:Units Category:Fantastic Creatures Category:Chaos